Guide for People with Disabilities

Access Salisbury

A GUIDE to Salisbury for People with DISABILITIES

By The Mayor’s Council in Support of Individuals with Disabilities

ABOUT THE COMMITTEE

The Mayor’s Council in Support of Individuals with Disabilities was established on October 1, 1991, to ensure that citizens with disabilities have an equitable opportunity to participate in, benefit from, contribute to and relish the opportunities Salisbury provides. These opportunities include housing, employment, transportation, communications, education and entertainment. The council assists the mayor with developing an Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Compliance Plan, and serves as a means through which individuals with disabilities can express concerns relative to accessibility and accommodations. To contact the council, please call the Mayor’s Office at 410-548-3100.

TRANSPORTATION AND PARKING

The City of Salisbury is served by the Shore Transit. Shore Transit, the Tri-County Council for the Lower Eastern Shore of Maryland’s provides bus services in Somerset, Wicomico and Worcester. With assistance from the Federal Transit Administration, the Maryland Transit Administration, Department of Human Resources and the local government in the three Lower Shore Counties, Shore Transit operates fixed bus routes connecting major business, education and service centers in the region plus on demand transportation for special programs such as health department patients to medical appointments, senior citizens moved to support programs, veterans, people covered by ADA and others. Shore Transit operates a fleet of 44 buses with a professional staff of one hundred. All buses are wheelchair capable and all drivers are trained in safely loading and unloading wheelchairs. For more information, visit www.shoretransit.org. Contact Brad Bellacicco, Director, Shore Transit Division at 31901 Tri-county Way, Suite 133, Salisbury, Maryland 21804. Phone: 410.341.8951 or Email: [email protected]

Parking in the City of Salisbury is provided to drivers with disabilities who show evidence of a disability with either permanent “disabled” license tags or a temporary window or rear-view-mirror tag under the following circumstances:

1. Parking is free in any areas and at all street metered parking spaces for all drivers with disabilities for double the maximum time on the meter.

2. Free parking also is provided for up to two hours of parking in the city’s enclosed parking garage and lot #1, located on the corner of S. Division and W. Market streets.

Disabled drivers with any questions, comments, concerns or suggestions about parking should address those issues to the Mayor’s Council of Support with Individuals with Disabilities.

EMPLOYMENT

There are a number of job retraining and employment opportunities in the area for those with disabilities. The first place one could start is the Division of Rehabilitation Services (DORS). Some of the services offered are vocational counseling; physical and mental restoration; services for deaf, hard of hearing, blind and sight impaired individuals; rehabilitation technology services; job skills training; and placement. Call 410-548-7025.

The Maryland One Stop Job Market in Salisbury is a one stop shop featuring employment and training services. The Job Market is to provide access to any array of resources and information in one place. For more information contact Kathy Strother at 410-341-6515 ext. 1004.

HOUSING

Individuals with disabilities who are looking to own a home or for accessible rental units can call the Salisbury Area Property Owners Association. Contact can be made through any local Realtor.

Homeowners, or property owners, who are seeking technical assistance with making modifications to existing structures to make them accessible, can call the city’s Department of Building, Permitting and Inspections at 410-548-3130.

EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES

Salisbury offers many educational opportunities for individuals with disabilities. Having a physical or learning disability is not in any way viewed as an inhibiting factor for admission to any local educational institution. Post-secondary institutions are Wor-Wic Community College, Salisbury State University and the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. Each campus has a specific department charged with the responsibility of ensuring that all reasonable accommodations are provided in accordance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Information about accessibility of public schools can be obtained from the Wicomico County Board of Education (410-543-4200). Additionally there are several private schools in the county listed in the phone book.

LEISURE ACTIVITIES

Salisbury has a wealth of attractions, including Delmarva Shorebirds baseball, the scenic Salisbury Zoo and the Ward Museum of Wildfowl Art, which houses the most comprehensive collections of wildfowl carving in the world. The Wicomico Youth and Civic Center offers a versatile showplace for concerts, theme shows, conventions and meetings, trade shows and sports events, with emphasis on accessibility. Salisbury State University, recognized by the Governor’s Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities for its accessible facilities, stages an array of cultural events, from theatre and symphony performances to art shows and dance performances. For a schedule of events for the Salisbury Wicomico County area, contact the Wicomico County Convention & Visitors Bureau at 410-548-4914.

COMMUNITY RESOURCES

The City of Salisbury has a variety of resources available to serve the needs of its population. Some of these include the United Needs and Abilities, Department of Rehabilitative Services and the Deaf Interpreter Referral Service. Salisbury also has local offices for the Wicomico County Health Department and a full service medical center. For a more complete list of resources available, please contact the Health Department at 410-749-1244 or the Department of Rehabilitation Services at 410-548-7025. If there are concerns regarding possible human rights violations, contact the Human Relations Commission at 410-221-2565 or the Maryland Disability Law Center at 800-870-6362.

Visit DORS at dors.state.md.us. The local office can be contacted at 116 E. Main Street, St. #403, Salisbury, MD 21801 or at 410-546-1580.

A resource for individuals with developmental disabilities in Salisbury for a wide variety of services including residential, supported employment, day habilitation and individual and family support services is the Developmental Disabilities Administration (DDA). The DDA provides a coordinated service delivery system so that individuals with developmental disabilities receive appropriate services oriented toward the goal of integration into the community. These services are provided through a combination of a wide array of community based services delivered through a network of not-for-profit providers and state residential centers (providing services to individuals with intellectual disability). The DDA partners with people with developmental disabilities to provide leadership and resources to lead fulfilling lives. To learn more about services and resources through the Developmental Disabilities Administration go to their website at the following link: http://dda.dhmh.maryland.gov